Stealing Thoughts
by ThreeBlackRabbits
Summary: Sora's fourteen and been run out of his village on account of his... special abilities. He meets up with team of likeabilitied people and wonders what to do with his life. RikuxSora
1. Prologue

**A/N: New story! I'm not promising any length that my chapters will be, some will be long, some will be short. I'm starting college soon, so until I get a feel for how that works, I might not be able to update frequently. **

**But I hope that everyone enjoys it.**

**Disclaimer in profile!**

Prologue

I've always been different. Supposedly, it didn't start until my early teens, but I think I've had it my entire life. It just took me time to develop it. Unlike others, who didn't feel this in them until later in life, and then had to develop it.

I have the ability to read people's thoughts, feelings, even going so far as to being able to see their pasts. I can also influence people's actions, which has come in handy for the last couple of years.

That last ability was only a recent development, though. Really, I started out with the most basic: being affected by other people's emotions. I was eight the first time I really felt some else's feelings. And don't get me wrong, that was not when I started feeling odd, this was just when I noticed it wasn't _my_ feelings. One day, afternoon, I think, and a typical sunny day, my only friend, Kairi, and me were running around barefoot through the dirt streets in our small village, when she slowed down and eventually stopped. I turned around and looked quizzically at her--I'm told that's a very cute look--and when she looked up at me, I was bombarded with a rush of emotions. Fear, confusion, embarrassment, love. They came at me like waves, like nothing I'd ever felt before. The sheer amount of emotion she was putting off was near enough to make me faint. And suddenly it stopped, she smiled at me and ran down to the end of the street, and I never got the chance to ask her what that was all about.

Reading people's thoughts came next. That was...a very rough time in my life. At first, I had to concentrate very hard to keep all the voices out, but I made funny faces when I had to do that, so people thought I was even weirder than before. Eventually, I learned to quiet the voices with a minimum of effort. Now it rings in my ears like tinnitus. Still, Kairi remained my friend through it all. She never knew of my ability, or if she did, she never brought it up. I might be thankful for that. I haven't quite decided. When I got the voices under control, I made it a point never to read anyone's mind. I felt that I wouldn't like to have that amount of invasion in my privacy, so I wouldn't do it to others. But there were times that I slipped.

Most of the time, my slips were harmless, I'd get a secret or two from a classmate, nothing to worry about--our school wasn't that interesting anyway. But the worst time for my powers to rear its ugly head was when I was alone with Kairi. The absolute worst was when she was thinking about something that had strong emotions attached to it. That thing was usually me. So then I knew that my best friend was completely infatuated with me, and I still had to act normal around her, because, while I did not feel the same about her, I still wanted to be friends. Best friends.

By the time I was fourteen, I had been filled to the brim with religious doctrine and paranoia. I was petrified. If anyone found out about my power, they would surely bring the villagers with pitchforks and torches, or even worse, guns. And I had slid under detection for most of my life. But something horrible happened in the summer of my fourteenth year.

I believe it was the end of summer, at the time when the days were starting to get cooler sooner and the leaves on the trees were not as green and vibrant as they had once been, when I slipped. Before I was so careful not to use any information I got by means of telepathy. But rage had clouded my judgment. I was defending Kairi. A bully, about the size of a small hippopotamus, had accused Kairi of being something very awful. I could not just stand there. Neither could Kairi. She attempted to punch the guy, but even with his girth, he was quite fast. He might've even expected her to throw a punch. Needless to say, she missed and stumbled forward a bit, when the bully pushed her into the ground. He barely had time to give out a loud, grunting laugh when I hit him in the back of the head with the purse Kairi dropped. It probably wasn't the smartest thing, because then he turned his attention to me, and with that came his thoughts, and increased my own ire tenfold.

I clutched at my head, the emotions and thoughts proving to be far too much for me to handle. The bully was thinking about so much, not only about the fight, but also about his family life, wonders about his henchmen whom he considered friends, even back to a lonely little boy standing in the rain. All this information shot through my mind like bullets, and when the bully insulted me, I had no control over what came out of my mouth. I was so delirious by that time that I had quipped back with something that he was thinking about, that I _shouldn't_ have known about.

The questioning looks came then. I had successfully pushed the bully out of my thoughts and regained my composure and then it hit me, what I had said, that I had just shown vengeful people the extent of my unusual personality. And the bully told. He told everyone. All the village elders, all the gossips, my parents. What happened next was a flurry. It took three days for the villagers to finally come after me. The elders had labeled me a warlock and had decreed that I should be killed.

Kairi was my only way out of that. She had come running up to my bedroom window tapping on it with the most urgency she could muster without breaking the glass or waking my parents. I hadn't slept in the last three days, and I wasn't sure that my parents had, but they were in their bedroom at the very least. They hadn't looked me in the eye since the incident, nor had they spoken one word. If not for Kairi, I would've gone insane. I hadn't had silence like that ever.

When I finally got the energy up to go over to the window, she was there, flushed and worried. I was too tired to prevent her thoughts from seeping in, so I got the jist of what was happening before she even opened her mouth. She must've known that, because she didn't talk to me at all when we were packing up the necessities--clothes, food, money--and climbing back out of my bedroom window. She was silent the entire way down the edge of the forest and to one of the side roads out of town. Only then did she open her mouth and let real words flow out.

"Sora," she said quietly, "I'm so sorry."

I must've looked shocked.

"Why?"

She didn't reply, but I picked up that she felt guilty for causing the trouble that forced me out of my home in the middle of the night and on an uncertain path that had no final destination. I sighed.

"Kairi, don't feel bad. Not for that, not for anything," I said. She felt awkward that I was reading her mind. I didn't expect her to get used to it so quickly. I shook my head.

"It was bound to happen some time," I continued. She only looked down and started to cry.

"But," she choked out, "you're leaving now."

"I am," I said curtly. I was perhaps a little less affected by the situation than she, I had been preparing for it since I was young.

She sniffled a bit and rubbed her eyes. Finally, she looked up with shining blue eyes and smiled brightly.

"You better not forget me, Sora," she said in a forced happy tone. She punched me lightly on the shoulder.

"Never." I smiled and pulled her into a delicate hug, she started crying again.

I left silently, under a blanket of star-dotted black velvet. I left that place to the torch fire and chaos that ensued. That place that was no longer my home.

**A/N: Please leave a review, I'd love to hear what you think of it. I have Chapter One and Chapter Two written out, and they should be posted pretty evenly. Maybe a week. Hopefully, I won't be overloaded and can work on Three soon.**

**Also, this was a rather dramatic chapter, I don't intend to make it like this the entire way through the fic.**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

My journey started the moment I took that first step on the dark dirt road. Expectations of what was to come never entered my mind. I was leaving home to find a better life, the reason most people leave their homes. After the initial adrenaline rush of practically being forcibly removed from the village wore off, I realized how cold it was. The wind was tugging at my thin clothes, ripping right though it to the soft skin below. My hair blew wildly in the wind, like rough fingers caressing my scalp. The full moon shed more than enough light for me to see the path, so I didn't have to waste my flashlight's batteries. I was thankful for that, I didn't know when I'd be able to buy replacements.

And it hit me like a ton of bricks. The air was forced from my lungs as I collapsed on the side of the road and hugged my knees close to my chest. I cried. No, I sobbed. I was alone and could never go back to what I was. An irreversible change had occurred when my back was turned. I started shaking, and asking myself the very same question I expect others have asked.

Why? Why me?

The self-pity was debilitating. All feeling in my arms, my legs, it all left, and I fell to my side. The tears were refusing to come, I was reduced to a dry sob and stomach cramps. My eyes burned. I had never cried that much in my life.

By the time my stomach stopped cramping, I had ceased crying and was contented with staring wide-eyed into space. There was not a thought in my head. Eventually, I fell asleep.

A twig snapped, a bird flew away, a cricket rubbed its hind-legs together to create its musical sound. My eyes reluctantly opened, not wanting to be scorched by the sun. I briefly wondered if I could hear animal's thoughts, but fear—my own—gripped my full attention. There was something in the forest, and I could at least feel it watching me, sizing me up as a potential meal.

That's when I ran. All self-pity be damned! Self-preservation kicked in full force. I only stopped when my calves started burning from lack of oxygen, and I deemed it safe. There was nothing after me anymore, from what I could sense. I bent over and took a few deep breaths, and then slowed my breathing to a more reasonable pace, when I noticed a few lights in the distance. Correction: a _lot_ of lights in the distance. I had made it! A town! Food! Mindless of the still searing pain running down my legs, I sprinted the rest of the way….

Which was a lot farther than I had originally anticipated. By the time I reached the gates of the city, I was so out of breath I couldn't properly answer the sentry's questions.

"Where are you from and what's your business in Traverse?" One sentry asked in a monotone.

Gasp, gasp. That was all I could manage, but they waited for me to catch my breath. Minutes passed. They waited with the same wary nonchalance they had when I ran up to them at top speed and they pulled their guns on me.

"I come," I paused. Should I tell them my village's real name? What if someone came looking for me? I straightened up to my full height—not all that tall when compared to them—and answered with confidence. "I come from Costa Del Sol." It was the only thing that came to mind where my tan could be explained without giving me up as a country farm boy that ran away. And I knew Traverse traded with Costa Del Sol, so they'd be on good terms with its residents, I hoped. It worked. They took one look at me and my skin and let me in. How fortunate.

And then I walked into Traverse. The third district, since I came in from the south entrance. Or what I should call the slums. I had heard of the squalor of city living, but never imagined what I saw. Buildings were pockmarked and falling over, weeds were the prevalent plant life, and a brownish-yellowish haze in the air was illuminated by street lights in the oddly darkened district of the city. There were even exposed electrical wires! And just seconds before I was standing in a beautiful green meadow with small wild flowers. I stood there with my jaw slack. Flies could've landed in my mouth and I never would have noticed. People were staring, too. I shook my head and started walking down the main street.

I was walking in a daze. Everything and anything was fascinating. The exotic smells of food coming out of the decrepit little apartments and restaurants, the fruit and vegetable stands on the side of the road with people haggling over prices, the sweet smell of fresh bread in the bakery. My stomach growled. No one saw that coming, did they? It wouldn't stop growling, either. The loud noise attracted a few glances from passers-by. I figured I could spare a little munny for a sandwich or something.

I walked into the bakery with the expressed hope that it would be a deli as well. I wasn't usually picky with food, but I was also tired and sore and a sandwich was the easiest and most filling option my brain could come up with.

The one main room of the bakery could only fit about seven people, and when I walked in three were sitting at a table. They were shady looking characters; two blonds and a brunet talking in hushed voices. I passed their table and the whispers stopped as they looked up or turned their heads to see me. I was undoubtedly staring at them as I walked past, but everything in this city seemed so different from home. Both blonds had blue eyes like mine, but the one with wild spiky hair had eyes that seemed to glow. The brunet was different. Older, and he had slate gray eyes and a diagonal scar in between them. His shaggy shoulder length hair was perhaps darker than my own, but it may have been the lighting. They all looked to be in top physical condition.

But the weirdest thing wasn't the hard glare I got from the brunet or the cold, indifferent glances from the almost identical blue eyes. The weirdest thing about these three was that _I felt nothing from them._ No thoughts came through my barrier, no emotions penetrated my very soul. They were completely silent in more ways than one.

With one last confused look, I returned my attention to the counter. I almost squealed and jumped in joy. A deli counter! And behind that there was a menu of different types of sandwiches. Yay! And then I looked past the menu and to the prices. I swear I nearly fainted. How could a simple sandwich cost that much! If this was the cheapest place around, and by the looks of it I was right, then I was going to go broke within the next day! But my stomach growled loudly and I knew I had to eat something. I could look for cheaper food later.

There was no one behind the counter, so I waited. It was bad manners and not very good business etiquette to leave a store unattended. I figured it wouldn't take long for the clerk to come out again and take my order.

I waited. Eventually, the quiet chatter resumed to provide me with background noise. I looked at everything. The cashier, the refrigerated meats and cheeses to my left, I even pretended to be looking over the menu again. Still, no one emerged from the back.

"Um, excuse me," I said meekly from behind the counter. No one answered or appeared. "Excuse me," I tried again. The stomach growling hadn't returned, rather had been replaced by sharp pangs. I could feel the stomach acid burning through the lining. If I didn't get something to eat soon… something would happen. I wasn't sure if it would be good, neutral, or bad, but _something_ would happen.

Before I could open my mouth to call to the back of the store, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Scared out of my wits, I swirled around and almost hit the offender.

But I was blocked. The hand that had suddenly appeared around my wrist tightened, and fear seeped into my being. I was caught, trapped! I'd be killed like the freak I was. I don't know when I closed my eyes, but I slowly opened one, and then the other, and was surprised to see equally as surprised blue eyes looking back at me. It was just the kinder-looking of the two blonds that had tapped me on the shoulder. Although, that was still a sketchy area. I didn't know these people; they could kidnap me and torture me to death. I almost wished it was someone from my village, the means of my death would be sure and quick.

For the moment, it looked like I was safe, though, because he smiled—it was small but it was there—and released my hand. I took it back and rubbed it for effect even though it didn't actually hurt.

"You won't get his attention with that quiet little 'excuse me,'" the blond said. I looked at him, stunned. His voice was a lot younger than he looked. At first, I had him pegged for around eighteen, like I did with the other blond, but now he sounded closer to fifteen.

"What-what should I do then?" I asked, still unsure about him.

"You have to yell real loud. Like this," he took a deep breath. "GODDAMIT CID, GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT HERE!"

I closed my eyes and scrunched up my nose. He could scream really, _really_ loud. But I heard a 'shit' and some movement in the back, and out came a scruffy looking man with short dark blond hair and an unclean white apron on.

"Tidus, you fucking scream that loud _ever _again and I will cut off your damn balls," Cid threatened.

I was thoroughly appalled. The language these people used! I was definitely not in my village anymore.

"Yeah, whatever," he said completely dismissing the threat. "You have a customer," Tidus said giving me a little push forward. With a small shrug and a glance at me, he went back to his table.

"Alright kid, whaddya want?"

I ordered and paid for my sandwich and watched him make it—lettuce, tomato, meat, cheese, all layered nicely on a fresh bun. He didn't hand it to me so much as he tossed it in my general direction and disappeared into the back room again. I think I heard someone snicker behind me when I nearly dropped the wrapped sandwich, but it was so quiet I couldn't be sure. When I turned around the three were deeply in their previous conversation.

I sat as far away from them as possible. I had no interest in actually overhearing their conversation. And since their thoughts were silent, I could achieve my goal.

I ate my sandwich slowly since I had nowhere to go and it had started to rain. As a result of my prolonged residence in the seat, I picked up on their glances in my direction and subtle body language. They hadn't moved since I started eating. Just talking, always talking. The last glance I got was kind of creepy, since it wasn't just one or two of them while the others kept on talking. It was all three of them, silently looking at me. I gave them an awkward smile and looked down at my food. I sat far away from them and didn't pry into their thoughts and I still knew what they were talking about! And now I was curious. Why were they talking about me? They had no reason to believe I was anything more than a plain kid looking for a bite to eat. Though by the looks of that place and its customers, maybe I shouldn't have been there. Maybe it was some kind of criminal head quarters. I gulped down my mouthful of sandwich. If that was the case, what would happen to me? Would they lure me into an alleyway and kill me? Why did everyone want to kill me?

Naturally, I made up my mind to get out of there quickly. It was starting to get darker and I needed to find some place dry to stay for the night. I took the paper my sandwich was wrapped in and smashed it into a ball, and with one last look over at the trio, I got up to the trashcan and threw it away. Walking out the door was the hardest part. I wanted to listen behind me for the squeal of chairs against the tile floor, or maybe some hurried talk, anything that would indicate they were going to come after me. But the moment I opened the door, the noises from the rain hitting against the aluminum roofs and a few people screaming at each other on the other side of the street cancelled out any noise from back inside the shop.

A shiver ran down my spine. It may have been from my natural paranoia or from the freezing wind that greeted me upon my exit from the deli, but one thing was for sure, I needed some place dry _and _warm to stay the night. The clothes I managed to pack before I left home were not going to keep the rain from soaking me through and through. I looked to the left, and then to the right. All I saw was a long street with many little alleys. Wasn't there a park or something, anything? A tree would've been sufficient, at least it would offer some protection from the rain. Before I entered the deli, I thought I could get a room at some boarding house, but that wasn't going to happen now.

Another thought occurred to me, but I couldn't deal with it. I had to get a job. Eating and sleeping in a room require munny, of which I wouldn't have after the next few meals.

I pulled my jacket around my body tighter and rubbed my arms up and down my chest. I had to start walking somewhere. I decided to go to the right. I had come from the left, and knew there was nothing that could help me down there.

I had gotten about two blocks away from the deli before I felt someone… or something behind me. It occurred to me that the roads were completely empty, where just minutes before there had been the odd straggler here or there. I slowed my walking pace, and tried to hear if there were footsteps behind me. There was no sound, there were no thoughts nor emotions, and the trio flashed in my mind. They were following me! I had a reason to be paranoid! But… still, this didn't feel like the silence they had. It was different somehow, an almost suffocating silence. I picked up my pace, almost to a run. I didn't care what it was, but it was definitely after me. A tear slid down my cheek. I didn't want to run away from things anymore. I wanted a normal life, like a normal child!

Without knowing it, I had turned a corner to throw them off and ran straight into a dead end. Piles of glossy black bags crawled up the wall at the end of the alley, but not quite high enough for me to jump over the wall. I turned back around to see if I could still make it out of the alley, but the streetlights went out. I could barely make out the end of the alley by the hazy moonlight, but then…. Then I saw it. It resembled a person in its shape, but was hunched over with long, stringy hair and glowing yellow eyes. I couldn't breathe. A few steps back, and I felt a cold, unnatural breeze behind me. I would've screamed, if my voice hadn't left me at that moment. Slowly, my head turned of its own accord to meet more of the same yellow eyes. At that, I did scream and fell flat on my behind in a puddle with a splash.

"What…?"

That was all I could say before the one in the mouth of the alley lunged for me. I noticed more had appeared before I shut my eyes tight and waited to be ripped into pieces by these monsters. The total count before I stopped watching the terrible scene before me was about twenty.

When the strike didn't hit after a few seconds, I ventured to open my eyes. I saw one lunge for me again, but this time it didn't look as determined. I watched it fly past me and hit the wall, bursting into a pile of sand or dust or something. My head whipped back to the entrance of the alley, and was surprised to find the lights back on and the silhouettes of three people. I was about to say something when another one of those… things appeared right in front of me and unhinged its mouth like a snake to engulf me whole. My arms went up to protect me, mostly for show since there was no way that was going to help.

And once again, the blow didn't come. I felt soft granules of sand brush against my cheek and fall on my lap, and when I looked up I saw an impossibly large sword hanging in midair and the cold blond staring down at me.

"We have to leave," he said decisively. "Now."

I had no time to reply as the sword disappeared right before my eyes and he bent down to grab my arm. His grip was tighter and more forceful than necessary, and he nearly dislocated my shoulder as he pulled me up.

The others at the main street were just as aloof. Tidus did smile at me, but other than that, I followed them in complete silence. Only when they turned into a sewage pipe did I stop and speak up.

"Okay, where the hell are we going? I don't think I can handle all this right now so," and when they turned around to glare at me, I lost all my previous confidence, "um, yeah, so could you please tell me where you're taking me?"

They looked at each other, seemingly talking through their eye contact, and then finally Tidus nodded and spoke.

"We're taking you somewhere safe. The city is dangerous for our kind at night," he said.

I blinked. Once, twice. What? 'Our kind?' What did he mean?

"What do you mean?" It was the only thing I could ask, my brain had shut down.

Tidus looked around and shook his head. "No," he said. "Not here, we'll explain once we're in there." He pointed down the dark pipe.

All I could do was nod and follow them into the unknown.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Um, hi to the few people that review, and thanks for that! It makes me happy to see reviews waiting in my inbox. I have a new chapter, obviously, and sorry for not posting sooner... college is eating me alive. Luckily for me, I don't taste very good, so it spat me back out. Now I'm covered in a thin layer of gross slime. Anyway, that's enough from my delirious mind. Hope this chapter is up to par. You get to meet Riku in it. And... learn more from my overactive imagination.**

**On to the fic!**

Chapter Two:

We were in a dark cavern with the sound of dripping water. Drip, drip, drip. I could barely see my three saviors—as I had decided to reluctantly call them, until I figured out their names—walking ahead of me. They were so surefooted, and I was so awkward. They must've traveled down to this place many times before. I stumbled a few times, but was offered no assistance. I found that rather rude, since they were the ones who saved me and took me into this place, they could've at least had the decency to help me out with the simple task of walking. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed the new setting we had walked into. The floors were no longer rough stone, but smooth, level granite, likewise with the walls and ceilings. There were multiple doorways, all closed. I hadn't seen this place before because there was no light then, but now the lamps hanging from the walls were lit. Oddly enough, they were oil lamps, not electric. When and how did they light up?

The three ahead of me slowed and eventually turned around to talk with each other. I was too far away to hear, and thought better than to use my power. They reached a decision and the brunet went off into a room, while the two blonds turned to look at me. I stared, openly, confused and a little scared, and they both saw it. The blond that had saved me with the huge sword almost rolled his eyes and walked further into the shadows, like I was too much trouble to bother with. But Tidus walked over to me and tried to comfortingly place his hand on my shoulder.

"We had to take you somewhere safe," he said. "Sorry if you're scared, but we won't hurt you."

I greedily took the comfort he was offering, but I was still the equivalent of an orphan in some kind of sewage pipe turned palace, and nothing he said could alleviate that. A sad smile formed on my lips and I looked at the ground.

"Thanks," I said quietly. Then something occurred to me. "Oh! I don't know any of your names! Well," I smiled at Tidus, "I know yours."

Tidus turned his head back to the other blond, coaxing him to introduce himself. The blond sighed and walked into the light, holding out his hand.

"My name is Cloud," he said, as if it was the most painful thing in the world to introduce one's self. "I'm a Weapons Master."

I had already taken his hand by then, but almost stopped shaking it when he said he was a… weapons master. Huh?

"Well," I started. Then I decided that they would explain everything and not keep me in the dark. "I'm Sora," I waved at him and Tidus, "and I have no clue what you guys are talking about." I laughed nervously.

"You will," a deep voice said. I think I jumped a little. The brunet had come back, but apparently only to tell us that, as he went back into the room he came out of.

Tidus nodded at me and took me gently by the arm to guide me in. I appreciated the level of concern he was showing now, but it was absolutely unnecessary. I could tell that we were going to go into that room.

The first thing that hit me about the room was that it was warm. There was a fireplace with a roaring fire, and two couches and a coffee table in front of it. The room itself was magnificent. Large, and cut right out of the bedrock. It wasn't as finished as the hallway, the walls and ceilings were exposed rock with moss and water trailing down the walls. But it was still warm. They led me over to the couches and sat down, motioning for me to do the same. I melted when I hit the plush cushion next to Tidus, even in my soaked clothes. I was one with the couch. It felt good to sit down and relax again. But there were more pressing issues at hand.

"Okay," I said, determined to get answers. "Why am I here?"

"Hold on," Tidus said. I pouted at him, he said I would get answers!

"Don't bite my head off," he chuckled, "he still hasn't introduce himself." Tidus pointed at the brunet.

The brunet, on the other side of the coffee table with Cloud, glared at Tidus as if he had committed the Ultimate Sin. I looked from Tidus to the brunet a few times, as it seemed they were fighting with nothing more than glares, and then finally the brunet spoke.

"My name is Leon," he said, still in that same deep voice.

I smiled. That wasn't so hard, now was it? "My name's Sora."

"I know, I heard you coming a mile away," Leon said. I stared. What?

"Leon's a Reader too," Tidus offered. It wasn't much, I still had no clue what they were talking about.

My expression said it all.

And they understood. Tidus was the one to speak, as it seemed the other two didn't like to talk much.

"You've noticed the strange ability you have, right? To read other people's thoughts? Maybe even their pasts?"

I nodded. It was kind of hard not to notice that.

"I still can't believe it. He's so young," Cloud said. So he does talk!

"Believe it. Even you can hear him screaming," Leon said. Again with the talking!

Tidus and Cloud nodded. Wait… what? I was screaming?

"See, Sora, I'm an Elemental, meaning, I can use the powers of the elements," Tidus said. That still didn't explain why I was screaming.

I nodded anyway.

"So, I'm not supposed to be able to hear anything like you two do. Though, I am more apt to pick up on your thoughts than Cloud, since Cloud's a Weapons Master. I use magic, whereas Cloud summons any kind of weapon he wants. Readers use magic to pick up on thoughts and emotions, all that stuff. So you can see why someone who constantly uses magic as an attack could hear a residue of the especially strong Readers, right?"

I was lost, but I kind of understood. "So, since you use magic, you can hear me? But Cloud can't, because he only summons…?"

"We're not talking about hearing _you,_ I can hear _you_ loud and clear. We're talking about a hypothetical, any normal Reader. I don't utilize that much magic when I summon, so it's hard for me to understand those who do. But people who do utilize a lot of magic can pick up on other's abilities," Cloud said. This wasn't helping me at all.

"You're just confusing him," Leon said, I couldn't tell if he was reading my mind or my face.

"Well, you try. It's not as easy as it looks, explaining all this," Tidus said.

"We're both Readers. They're not. They do not have the ability to read thoughts. That one," he pointed at Tidus, "uses magic, so he has a strong sense for other people's magic. That one," he pointed to Cloud, "does not use very much magic, and thus does not have a strong sense for magic, so normally, he can't pick up on it."

That was better. "But you keep saying 'normally,' why?" I asked.

"You're different. We've learned to block our minds from Readers, where you're basically shouting all your thoughts out. That's one of the reason you were attacked by the Heartless," Tidus said.

Uh oh, a new word. Heartless?

"Heartless are the monsters that attacked you. They were once like us, and we don't know how or why they changed. Now they hunt us. Normally, they take the person prisoner and turn them into an Heartless, but with especially strong people, the Heartless kill them immediately," Leon said.

"Yeah, and you are very strong," Tidus said. I blushed. "To attract twenty three Heartless in one shot! Amazing. When they come after me, there's like, four… maybe."

"What about you guys," I said, looking over at Cloud and Leon. "How many do you guys attract?"

"The most I've ever gotten was ten," Cloud said.

"Seventeen," Leon replied gruffly.

"Seventeen," I repeated. "So that means..." I counted on my fingers. Yeah, so I wasn't all that great at arithmetic. "I got six more than you!" I found that completely amazing, Leon looked like a very strong man.

He huffed. "If you would recall, this isn't a contest, the least you attract the better," he reminded. Me and Tidus, even Cloud a little, looked ashamedly down at our laps. I still felt a twinge of pride at being stronger than Leon, and that twinge pulled the corners of my lips into a small grin.

"Oh, shut up," Leon said, getting up from his place on the couch and walking to the mantle of the fireplace. Right, that whole screaming thing.

"Why am I screaming?" I asked anyone who would listen.

Cloud and Tidus looked at me funny. "Well," Tidus started hesitantly. "Most of the time, you're not really saying anything. It's more incoherent yelling. And it's gotten quieter since we took you here."

"Probably some type of insecurity you have," Cloud offered. "Maybe because you ran away?"

I scowled. "You can hear that, too?"

"No, but you look like you ran away," Cloud said. "That, and you had no clue where you were going. In Traverse, that usually means runaway."

"You have a lot of them, then?" I said, smiling.

"Only a few," Leon answered. I was surprised, after his little emotional fit I thought he was going to be silent the rest of the night, but I was wrong. Not the first time in my life.

"Hm, I wanna know about... well, more about people like us," I said. It was strange, but I was feeling secure around these three, like I could trust them. Hopefully that trust wouldn't come around and bite me in the ass.

"What do you want to know?" Cloud asked. "We're called Users, for one. Just as a general category."

"Are there different kinds? I thought before that I was the only one with this power," I said. My naivety shown through like a star, but I couldn't help it. I really did think I was alone.

"Let's see... there are you Readers, us Elementals, the Weapons Masters, Healers, Shadows... Cloud, am I missing anything?" Tidus turned to Cloud and tilted his head to the side. Very dog-like, I noticed.

"You're forgetting the most important one," Cloud smirked. "Extractors."

A shiver ran through the room. Even through me, and I didn't know what they meant.

My brow furrowed and lips pursed. "Okay, what do they do?"

"You already know the first three, Healers are kinda self-explanatory. Shadows," Tidus paused and bit his lip in thought. "Shadows are creepy. They can turn invisible and walk through walls and stuff like that. They can even force someone's soul out of it's body and take it's place for a while!" His eyes widened and I heard a suppressed laugh and–yes, I could hear it–Leon rolling his eyes.

"That's only a myth, Tidus, they can't really do that," Cloud corrected.

"Psh, I think they can," Tidus said, leaning back into the couch.

"And Extractors," Cloud continued, since Tidus was too busy sulking in the couch. "They are one of the most powerful Users, since they can... Leon, how would you put it?"

Our three heads turned simultaneously to Leon, as if awaiting a bedtime story. He played the part too, which was even scarier.

"Well," Leon said. He seemed to be unable to put into words what he was thinking. "Extractors are... they can kill. That's the easiest way of putting it. But it depends on what they're up against. Against a human, or another User, they take the soul. Against an Heartless, they take their will, since Heartless don't have souls, only a will to murder. Extractors basically kill things by taking their life force away."

I swallowed. That sounded scarier than Shadows! One thing was for sure, I never wanted to meet one of those in a dark alley.

"Okay, all this talk has worn me out," Tidus said with a wide yawn. "Not to mention those Heartless! How 'bout we go to bed?"

I yawned as well. Apparently, the adrenaline from before was wearing off. I was tired from sleeping in the woods all last night, sprinting here, getting attacked. My eyes were starting to blur up too, which I knew meant I was getting exhausted.

"Um," I said. "Where..."

"Don't worry about it, we take care of our own," Tidus said. He patted me roughly on the back. "You can stay here. In fact, you should stay here, it's the only place protected from the Heartless."

"We don't have very much space inside the compound, so you'll have to board with another from our group," Cloud said, standing up and stretching. "He's nice enough, if not a bit strange. A runaway, like you."

Yay! A bonding point. If he was anything like these three, I didn't see a problem. "Okay then," I said.

"Here, I'll take you to your new room," Tidus said, pulling me up with him. We walked out of the room before Cloud and Leon even made a move, and I briefly wondered why we had to leave so fast. I didn't even get to say goodnight.

Tidus didn't let go of my arm until we stood outside of a moderately sized wooden door. I couldn't hear anything on the other side, and like before I couldn't feel anybody.

"About my whole screaming thing," I started to tell Tidus. "What if the current occupant of the room gets annoyed by it and can't sleep? What do I do to stop it?"

"You can't really stop it until we teach you how, but if you concentrate on absolutely nothing, you should become pretty quiet. Shouldn't be that hard since you'll be asleep too," Tidus answered. I nodded, determined to quiet myself. But a frown soon appeared.

"What if he doesn't like me?"

Tidus looked at me thoughtfully. I stared back with my bright blue eyes. He smiled.

"Nah, he'll like you," he said. "Just be you."

What original advice. How could I not be me? I nodded anyway, and Tidus reached up to knock on the door.

We waited. Silence was all that came from the other side. But then... yes, I heard it, a bed creaking, footsteps on a stone floor coming closer, closer. Finally the door opened and a silver head appeared from the darkness of the room, followed by his pale body covered only in long pants. He leaned on the door frame, still looking at the ground. I wondered if he was a Shadow. The way he lurked out of the darkness looked like something a Shadow could do. He raised his head, the silky strands of his hair falling into place as if in slow motion, his lips parted so slightly, eyes began to open. I was just about knocked off my feet when his eyes did open to reveal  
an aqua green so piercing I could feel it prick my skin. His eyes looked from Tidus to me, and stayed there for a long time. Up, down, then up again, his eyes resting on my own. He might've smirked. He couldn't be a real person.

"Tidus," he said in a voice so ethereal I couldn't even attempt to describe it. "What. The. Hell?"

Tidus laughed a little. "You've got a new roomie. Say 'hello' to Sora."

"Hello, Sora," he said, emphasizing my name in a tone so completely seductive and innocent at the same time. I could only stand there and gape. Tidus nudged me into action none too gently in the ribs.

"Er, um, hello," I said, quite automatically. Tidus nudged me again when I didn't inquire the silver-haired boy's name immediately. My brain lagged from lack of sleep, my mind was all fuzzy, and I couldn't properly form a sentence.

"What's your name?" I closed my eyes for the relief and smiled my sugar-sweet smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts.

"Riku," he said. I noted how his eyes had never left mine, that devious little glint in them all the while.

"Right, then," Tidus interrupted the short pause in the conversation. He stretched his arms over his head. "You two can get acquainted, I'm going to bed."

Riku leaned a little further out of his door. His eyes left my body.

"Sweet dreams!" He sarcastically screamed after Tidus. He gave me a sideways glance before turning around. "Come on, Sora."

I obediently followed. The room was dark, but I could still make out two beds, one that looked occupied, and the other that was fully made. I took that to be my bed and dropped my pack on the floor next to it. I was still pretty damp from the rain, but luckily my pack was waterproof. I do still have luck!

"So, Sora," Riku called to me from the other side of the small room. "Do you always yell this loud?"

I frowned, so he could hear it too. "I'm sorry, I'll try to be quiet," I said.

"Don't worry about it," Riku said. "I've been alone in this room for a long time. It's nice to have some company."

There was a pause. I unfolded some of my clothes from my pack and set them on the bed. I definitely wasn't comfortable changing in front of Riku.

"Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"Is there a bathroom somewhere? I want to get changed," I asked. I probably shouldn't have put that last part in there...

He laughed. Loud. "Why do you need a bathroom to change?"

I was silent. I willed my thoughts to be silent too. Hopefully, it worked. I heard Riku sigh and wood creaking. "I won't look, see? All I can see is the wall."

"Okay," I said. I pulled off my shirt and pants and traded them for dry pajamas. "Riku?"

"Yes?"

"I'm done."

"You know, I can't even see you that clearly."

"Thanks anyway." I couldn't see him either, but it was just the idea.

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed. "Get some sleep."

"Oh, Riku, one more question!" I said.

"What is it?" I heard his bed creak again and the covers rustle.

"What kind of User are you?"

There was another pause. I heard him shift in bed.

"I'm..."

I waited patiently. I expected Shadow.

"I'm an Extractor."

The bottom of my stomach fell out.

**A/N: It's a particularly long chapter, which I guess is a good thing for readers. A review or two would be nice. And I just have to find the time to proof the next chapter and then I can post that one too. Ugh, I dunno when that'll be though.**

**Bye 'til then.**


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to the bunches of people that reviewed. As promised, a new chapter.

This chapter, though not important to the bulk of the plot, is a brainchild of my roommate and I, rambling on about crazy things in the middle of the night. I hope it's entertaining... and semi-plausible.

On to the fic!

Chapter Three:

I noticed last night that a little bit of moon light had filtered in through a small window in the ceiling, illuminating the small room barely enough to see the outline of things. I didn't realize that it would allow enough light to actually wake me up. But it did. Apparently, the window faced the east too, so the first morning's sun was enough to brighten the room and wake me. Not that I wasn't used to waking up at the crack of dawn for farm duties, but I kind of hoped that would end once I left.

I wasn't the only one in some state of consciousness though, and for a few milliseconds I thought I was being robbed. Yet, as happens with memory, scenes from last night dropped slowly into mind and I remembered.

An Extractor.

Scary!

And I had to live with him for my stay at this... place. Ack! And I thought he was attractive. That was going to make things uncomfortable.

"You're being louder," Riku said. "That must mean you're awake."

"Uh," I blushed and seriously hoped it was more of that incoherent yelling and not my actual thoughts. "Yeah, I'm awake."

"Good, you were having some weird dreams."

I sat up and quirked my head at him. He could see my dreams?

"What do you mean? You could... hear... or see my dreams?" I asked.

"No," Riku said, putting the book he was holding down on the table, crossing his arms, leaning back on the same table, and looking at me. "You talk in your sleep."

He laughed clearly. It was nice. It made me frown. I didn't want to have a crush on a guy.

"You said my name a few times, and you barely know me," Riku said. He pushed off the table a bit and walked slowly toward me, until he had reached my bed and sat down beside me. "Did I really make that much of an impression?"

My eyes widened, hopefully imperceptibly, and I blushed, again, hopefully imperceptibly. Then it occurred to me that I should do something to dispel this image of me in his head. I furiously shook my head.

I didn't stop either. Until fingers slid up either side of my face and held my head still. I stared at the bed sheets underneath me and gulped. He was touching me! Invading my personal space. Three foot bubble around me!

But... that wasn't it. The other hand came up and brushed the loose hair from the side of my face and I felt the bed sink close to me. I involuntarily tilted a little to my left, right into Riku, who was leaning into me. I felt his lips press against my already burning cheek. I was nervous, I had the weirdest feeling that I wanted to cough or giggle or puke, or maybe all three at the same time. Was that a tongue I just felt?!?!?!

But he pulled away and got up, and I was thankful for the air that suddenly rushed into my lungs. I still had the weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, but managed to prevent any of the symptoms from occurring. Any of them would've been terribly embarrassing.

"Oh well, I like you, and I'll have more chances to make an impression," he said, smirking and vanishing through the door before I could get my wits about me.

It was only when I was completely alone in the room that I started in a fit of giggles. It was more of a coughing giggle, and not because I was extremely happy. Well, I was happy that I didn't puke up bile, but it was not the cause of my giggles. It was all adrenaline. That was my first kiss! Did it count though? He was male, I wasn't really a willing participant... and it wasn't on the lips. But it wasn't from a family member either, so did it count still? That was the first person to kiss me--anywhere--that wasn't related to me. Oh, this was all so confusing. My head hurt. And my stomach growled.

Okay, I could focus all my rampant attention on something else now! Like tracking down food. That was an important task, and one that would consume most of my energy, considering I didn't know where I was in relation to anything, and definitely didn't know where the kitchen was.

I hopped out of bed and ran through the door to the hallway outside. Hm, could I remember which way I had come? No. But I went to the right. If I hit a dead end, I could always turn back around. The halls were pretty much like I remembered them. Stone. Cold. That phantom drip threatening to drive me crazy. It almost succeeded, except I heard talking coming from one of the rooms farther down the hall. People! They could tell me where to go, if it wasn't the kitchen already.

I ran down to the end, accompanied only be the sound of my bare feet slapping against the cool stone. Too late did I realize I was still in my pajamas. I skidded outside the doorway and smiled to whoever the occupants may be. I was happy, and there was a distinctly bacon smell emanating from the door.

"Morning!" I started. Then I saw who was in the kitchen... or more importantly, what he was wearing.

There was Cloud, Tidus–looking a little wore out, Riku, Leon and a girl I had never seen before sitting next to Tidus. Leon was at the stove. That wasn't so unusual, though I didn't peg him for the cooking type. No, the weird thing that made me stumble backward and suppress a laugh was that Leon was in a sort of frilly pink apron. I was sure there was a perfectly logical explanation for this that I was just overlooking. I figured that he would beat anyone who presented him with a pink apron into a bloody pulp and stuff the apron... where it shouldn't be.

Leon must've been reading my thoughts, though, because he hung his head and covered his face with his hand, immediately going back to cooking. Cloud and Tidus snickered at him, then Tidus looked over at me.

"Morning, Sora," Tidus said. "Wanna hear the story about Leon and his apron?"

I heard Leon growl, a sort of growl that started deep in his belly and ripped its way through his throat. But he continued cooking.

Cloud smiled, a very satisfied smile, and leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. I crept my way into the kitchen and sat on the other side of Tidus, across from Riku. Ah, Riku. He was sitting there with his hand wrapped around a mug of coffee, slightly slouched... but we weren't thinking about Riku. This was about Leon and his apron.

"Sure," I replied to Tidus. "Tell me a story."

Tidus took a deep breath, like a professional orator, and begun. "It was, oh, three years ago? Leon had just come here, and detested the food we served him. Said he could cook better than us. We dared him to show us. It didn't matter that he was older than all of us and probably could cook better, or, for some reason, that thought didn't enter our mind."

He stopped, looking over at Cloud, seemingly for help in the story.

Cloud got the hint and continued. "So he started cooking. Days went on, the meals steadily increased in quality, and he unofficially got the title of cook," he said, smiling devilishly.

Cloud leaned a little forward over the table, I leaned in closer to him.

"He kept getting things on his clothes, food, grease," he whispered. "So he bought an apron. Just a normal apron, I think it was dark blue. I was stupid enough to bring up in a Blackjack match between me and Tidus that it would look funny if Leon wore a frilly pink apron. That soon became one of our bets, who would buy one for him and then present it. And at that point, Tidus decided to show that he was a champion Blackjack player at thirteen years old. I lost, so I bought the apron. And presented the gift to Leon."

Cloud sat back and smiled again. "It was really something you had to be there to truly appreciate the horror on Leon's face," he resumed in a normal voice. "It was even worse when I told him it was for him."

Tidus nudged me in the ribs again. I was going to bruise if he kept doing that. "I was there, it was priceless," he added.

"We couldn't get Leon to wear it though," Cloud said, almost disappointed.

"That's where I helped out on Cloud's part," Tidus said. "Whenever Leon would wear an apron that wasn't the pink one, I'd use my helpful elemental powers to make the stove fire flare up and catch the apron on fire. Sometimes I would just start a fire on the apron, if he wasn't using the stove."

"And now we have him trained. He cringes every time he thinks of putting another apron on," Cloud said.

"In your dreams," Leon said, walking over to the table. "I wear this one because I was sick and tired of buying new aprons. It's just a piece of cloth, I don't care what it looks like."

It seemed to me like it bothered him a lot. But I was hungry and he had set a plate of food down in front of me. It was at times like these where my tunnel vision kicked in, all I saw was food. And I really didn't even see that. I had no clue what I was putting in my mouth, just that it tasted great and calmed my roaring stomach down. I prayed to whatever divine beings that no one ever tried to poison me... I'd be dead before I ever figured it out.

I looked up from my plate of food once, and that wasn't, possibly, the best thing for me to do at that moment. Riku, on the other side of the table and with his mug of coffee, was staring right at me. His expression was unreadable but soft. We stayed like that until I could feel the blush burning my skin, and returned my sight back to the food. But, for whatever reason, I wasn't hungry anymore. I pushed the plate away from me, and decided I needed to do something to get my mind off of my roommate's gaze.

"Hey, guys," I called for attention, and waited until I got everyone's. "Am I still screaming?"

"You know, I've either gotten used to it, or you're quieter," Tidus replied. "Leon, what do you think?"

The dark brunet turned to face us and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's still the same to me," Leon said. "But I'm a lot more sensitive to it than you are, so it could be true."

"I can barely hear you at all," Cloud said. "So I think you're getting better."

I smiled widely. I was trying really hard not to be so loud, and it was working. But I had always been a very persistent guy.

"But you still won't last five minutes on the street without attracting a few Heartless," Cloud said, taking a sip out of his own coffee cup. "Even in the daylight."

"But why didn't they attack me yesterday afternoon? I was here in the daytime and didn't get attacked," I said, pouting.

"They didn't know you were here," Cloud elaborated. "Now that they know what you smell like, you're not safe."

"Oh," I said.

"So until we can teach you to become invisible, you're gonna have to lay low here," Tidus interjected.

"Invisible?" I asked.

"Yep, well, not literally," Tidus corrected. "It shouldn't take too long, but since you don't have an offensive attack, you're going to have to take one of us if you want to go anywhere after dark."

"But you said I could learn to become invisible to them, why would I need to take someone with me?" I asked the question, but didn't think I'd ever really need it, why would I want to go somewhere after dark?

Leon appeared, sans apron, and sat down next to Cloud. "Because you're strong. Even silencing your voice wouldn't be enough."

"So when do I learn this valuable technique?" I asked.

"Right now, if you want," Riku replied, breaking the silent streak he had going. "I'll be your teacher."

It had to be him, didn't it? But I should've guessed, with how bad my luck had been recently. I nodded shyly at him.

"Well, let's get going," I said, determined to do well and get this whole screaming situation out of the way. I stood up and Riku led me out of the room.

A/N: The actual training is giving me issues, but I'm almost done with the next chapter.

Oh, and please review. I almost fainted when I saw that I had more than two reviews in my inbox... so you guys wanna go for a full on faint?


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another chapter. And just in time for Christmas... or whatever you're celebrating. I stayed up much longer than I wanted to finishing this... and as a result it's much longer than I thought it was going to be. That always seems to happen to me, I want to finish something quickly and it takes forever, and then I don't really have the drive to finish something and it pours out of me. Whatever. I'm tired, and there was only a little proofreading on the end of this chapter, so please excuse the potentially bad grammar and spelling.**

**Happy Holidays.**

Chapter Four:

"Sora."

"Hm," I replied dreamily. Riku was sitting cross-legged in front of me, hands on his knees, eyes closed. I got the feeling he wanted me to copy him, especially since he had told me to do that before we sat down. But I was getting distracted. And no, not only by him… the room we were in was gorgeous. It wasn't anything like the stone hall or the unfinished sitting room from last night. There were creamy marble supporting pillars and a tiered ceiling. The windows from the very top let in enough light to encase the room in a warm glow, making me feel much more comfortable. Actually, it was more like putting me to sleep.

"Sora, if you close your eyes, are you going to fall asleep?" Riku asked, his eyes still closed.

"Maybe," I said, a small smile creeping onto my face.

"Then maybe you shouldn't close your eyes," Riku said. "But… if you don't close your eyes, are you going to keep looking around?"

I frowned. How did he know all this? He couldn't see and he couldn't read my mind, unless Cloud and Tidus didn't tell me everything I needed to know about Extractors.

I shook my body and decided to focus. I needed to learn to control my powers. But something had been nagging at my consciousness ever since I followed Riku out of the kitchen.

"Hey Riku," I said. I waited until he opened his eyes before I continued. "Why are you teaching me how to do this? Why can't Leon do it?"

Riku cocked his head and pouted comically. "What? You don't like me? You'd rather have Leon do it?"

"Um," I replied unsteadily, "no, that's not it. It's just, he's a Reader like me, so wouldn't he be able to teach me better?"

"Honestly, it has nothing to do with the type of power we have," he said. I nodded my head to show I was following along. "We all need to learn how to suppress the runoff energy so the Heartless don't attack us."

He paused and brought an index finger to his lips in thought. "So your teacher was decided based on how strong we were," he said. I got the image of them fighting each other to see who would teach me, and it made me smile a bit. Riku, hopefully not knowing what I was thinking, smiled back at me. "And I just happen to be the strongest outta the bunch."

"So why do I need a strong User to teach me?"

"Because anyone weaker than me wouldn't be able to handle you," Riku said. He winked at me… I blushed. This was getting ridiculous.

"Why do you have to be strong to handle me?" I asked. Why was everything so complicated for me?

"That's not important right now," Riku said, waving his hand. "We should start. This session will probably take all day. Not to mention it'll be the hardest."

I got the distinct feeling that I should be very afraid. The warm aura of the room suddenly turned black, and a sadistic little smirk twisted Riku's normally smooth features.

"So, Sora, let's start out easy," Riku said. He was trying to calm me down, I could tell. It wasn't working. My stomach tied up in knots. "I want you to read my mind."

My eyes widened. That was it? I could do that. These people were a little harder, because they purposefully tried to block their thoughts, but I was confident in my ability. I took a deep breath and began searching around for his thoughts.

It's harder than it seems, but if I had to explain how to read a specific person, I would say it was like plucking pieces of paper out of the air. Each piece of paper has a stream of consciousness thing to it, and I can follow that path until the person fades away. Then, I just pick another out of the air. It's really very pretty, if you picture it; like white feathers falling from the sky.

But searching for one of Riku's thoughts proved to be very hard. Everything I picked up on was from someone else. I even got a few of Tidus' thoughts.

"Riku," I said, continuing to focus on the task.

He replied with a very original, "hm?"

"You're not here," I said. I was having difficulties thinking about how to explain what was going on when he talked.

"I know that," he said. "You have to find me. And you won't find me with normal means."

"Riku!" I said, exasperated. I broke all concentration and frowned at him. "How is this helping me silence my thoughts?"

He opened his eyes and innocently looked at me. "It isn't," he stated as if it was a well known fact and I was an idiot. Then he grinned. "You have a lot of natural talent, but if you don't learn how to focus it, you'll waste it all away. I'm helping you develop your powers before we get to the silencing part."

My jaw dropped. So much work, but I would do it! I would succeed.

"And you never know, we might uncover new facets to your power that you didn't even know about," he said slyly. I wasn't sure if I was going to let him off the hook that easy though, so I continued to do my own mixture of a frown and a pout aimed directly at him.

"Go back to looking, this will all explain itself soon," he said, noticing the unwavering power of my pout.

"Fine," I said. I opted to close my eyes this time, regardless of the fact that it was entirely possible for me to fall asleep. Still, all I could see was the white fragments falling from the sky. I sighed. If I had to go through every single bit piece by piece, I would likely go insane.

What should I do? If there was a way I could separate the thoughts by person, then maybe I could find it. It'd help more if I knew what he was thinking of. Maybe if I thought of the person, their thoughts would come to me? It was worth a shot.

Okay, what did I know about Riku? He was an Extractor. He was a little scary, very forward, nice… but then I stopped. I didn't know all much about him. But I noticed something that made me smile. Thoughts were being attracted to me as I thought about him. Then I needed more, so I went on to what he looked like. Silver hair, aqua eyes, sort of tall, strong. He seemed to be smart. Maybe he was cunning?

Then something hit me from last night. Cloud told me he was a runaway. Like me, he was like me. Suddenly I wanted to know more, I wanted to find his thoughts, dig around for new facts about him. The room went black and the white thoughts disappeared. I was sitting alone. That didn't help. I exhaled and looked around. Yep, everything had disappeared. Now what was I going to do?

I was so tired from expending that much energy that I fell back and stared up at what I assumed to be the ceiling. This had never happened to me before. I closed my eyes and wondered what to do next. I could stop looking for his thoughts, but that wouldn't really help, because I'd just have to try again. I could…

I felt something brush my cheek. It was soft and delicate, falling down past my ear and onto the floor. I reached up to grab it, and brought it in front of my eyes. It was one of those feather thought things.

I sat up and stared at it. There was something wrong with it. It wasn't white like all the others, it was a light shade of green. Like Riku's eyes. Hey!

In a flash, the darkness was replaced by a blinding white light. I squeezed my eyes together and waited a few seconds for the light to become less bright. Cautiously, I opened one eye, then the other.

"Riku!" I yelled, surprised to find him in my mind… wait, what the hell? He smiled at me before I broke the connection and opened my real eyes.

I was breathing heavily and had, at one point, fallen on my side. I sat upright again, putting a hand to my pounding head. That was intense, I'd never had someone else in my mind.

I heard a moan from across the room and the sound of someone moving. Confused, I looked up and gasped.

Riku was far on the other side of the room, slouching against the wall and had both his hands holding his head.

"Oh," Riku groaned. "Sora, I didn't think you'd freak out that much." He looked up at me and smiled, then reached behind his head and rubbed it.

I immediately got up and ran over to him. "I'm so sorry Riku, I totally wasn't expecting that. Usually I just get thoughts, not people," I apologized, helping him up.

"Well, the important part is you managed to find me," Riku said. "But how the hell did you get out of my head with enough force to physically move me?"

I shook my head. "I dunno, I've never done that before," I said. "What did you do? Why did I see you in my head?"

"Actually, the fragment you picked up took you into my head," Riku said. "I'm called an Extractor for a reason."

"Oh, that makes sense," I said. "Hey! How'd you know what it's like to read people's minds?" The fact that he knew about the little feathers or whatever had me a little intrigued as to the true nature of an Extractor.

He glanced at some part of the floor next to my feet, then redirected his eyes up to me. "I can," he paused. "I can also take some of your power from you. So, I know what it's like to read minds."

"Oh," I said. "That must be convenient."

I guess he was expecting a different reaction from me, because for just a second he looked confused. But that melted away to a sweet smile. "You're so cute, Sora," he said.

It was my turn to look confused. That was more unexpected than my comment. I choose to ignore it.

"So what are we gonna do now?" I asked. I plopped down next to him against the wall.

"I should make you do that exercise again, but I won't," he said."Instead, we're gonna move on to the next level."

I frowned when I heard Riku chuckle. That couldn't mean a good thing.

Days had gone by–okay, so it was probably only half a day–and I couldn't take anymore. My knees were shaking so bad I could hardly stand up, and if Riku made me do one more thing I knew I was going to collapse in his arms. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing... no, that was a very bad thing.

Taking a few more deep breaths, I stood up straight and faced him. Of course he wasn't even winded. For the last few hours, he had been bombarding me with thoughts, trying to get my defense stronger. But I swear, if he tried to keep this pace going I... I felt like I was going to die.

The few droplets of sweat that had found the force to move down my brow stung in my eyes. I brought a hand up to rub them, but it didn't help.

"Riku," I swayed, "we have to take a break. I... can't do this anymore." I stumbled a few feet backward, but caught myself before I fell flat on my bottom.

He looked at me with a cold, calculating gaze that scared my tattered brain. Luckily, before it could penetrate my soul, his face softened.

"All right, let's take a break," he said, motioning toward the wall behind me. I let out a tired sigh before moving over and taking a seat. I brought my knees up to my chest and rested my head in between. Riku followed silently and sat down next to me.

"I told you it'd be hard," he broke the silence and dipped his head so he could see my eyes.

"Yeah, you warned me," I murmured. I couldn't seem to properly operate my mouth to form words. "I'm so tired and hungry."

He laughed a little; I didn't overlook the fact that he was laughing at my discomfort and scowled to the best of my ability at him. It was probably lukewarm though, considering my body's current inability to work as my mind dictated.

"You wanna get something to eat?" Riku asked. "We can quit for today, you made excellent progress."

I made a funny moaning noise, totally involuntary, I swear. "I don't think I can get up."

And that's when I made a fatal error.

I closed my eyes.

Next thing I knew I was leaning on Riku's shoulder. I made a pathetic attempt to get up, but it didn't work. My body was lead. Lead that hurt like hell. And then my eyes succumbed to exhaustion again.

I only woke up once more, as Riku was carrying me down one of the halls. I could only assume he was taking me back to our room, and so I made no protest. It would have come to this even if I wasn't so worn out, because there was no way I was going to be able to walk. It was Riku's fault, he made it so hard. So really, he brought this upon himself.

And that was the night that I had the dream. It took me back to my old village, just the way I left it. Everyone was there, doing whatever they would normally do. But there was no sound. And everything seemed to be going in slow motion. I watched in awe as a tomato fell off the grocer's display and splattered on the sidewalk, as people walked past. It was painful to be back here, and in the back of mind I knew it was just a dream, but I wanted to find Kairi.

I ran down the streets I knew so well to our block. I felt my heart give as I ran past my old house, but I wasn't there to see them, I had a mission. The next few houses were irrelevant, just our neighbors. But at the end of the block, the cul-de-sac before the river and forest, was Kairi's house. I stopped just before the beginning of the property, hesitating for a reason I wasn't too sure about. I quickly shook off the fear, it was a dream after all, and dreams end.

I burst through the door, with no consideration for the other occupants. I quickly scanned the first floor, somehow knowing she wouldn't be down there. I was just about to climb the stairs, when I stopped. She wasn't going to be up there either. She was outside, in the backyard. The creepiness factor of how I knew that didn't have time to set in as I ran through the kitchen and sunroom to the backyard.

"Kairi!" I shouted at the red head in the middle of the yard. She didn't move, so I went to her.

"Kairi, what's wrong?" Usually I couldn't get her to shut up, not that I ever wanted her to stop talking, but this was starting to scare me. The fact that it was just a dream had left me, and only dread filled my being.

"Sora..." she said as she slowly turned her head to me. "I'm okay."

As I contemplated this cryptic message, she started to disappear. I didn't noticed until she was almost completely gone, and I reached out to grab her. I fell through her and landed on the cold, damp lawn, and then she was gone.

I stared at the spot she had previously occupied, confused throughout.

"So, you're Sora," I heard a voice from the doorway to the house. I looked over my shoulder and saw an unfamiliar face. He was tan with white, long hair and an acute amber gaze. He would have been breathtaking if not for the icy chill coming from him.

"Um, yeah, I'm Sora," I said, climbing to my feet. I brushed the clinging blades of grass from my pants. "Who are you?"

"My name is not important, I just had to meet you," he said. I shivered. This man could not have been real.

"You don't belong here, I don't know you," I asserted.

"You're right, I don't belong here," he smiled. "But you will know me, very well, might I add." With that he vanished much like Kairi did, but not before he snapped his fingers.

I cocked my head at this bizarre behavior, but didn't have time to think about it more. Heartless were surrounding me, and I didn't have anything to defend myself with.

"Riku," I whispered. I started to feel overwhelmed, like the world was crashing down on me, and all I could think about was Riku. I fell upon my knees and brought my hands to my face. Why? Why was I feeling so depressed? I could handle this all, it was nothing. What was this hand clenching around my heart? If it didn't let go soon, my heart was going to stop. My eyes... I was going blind. Around the edges the picture faded to black, slowly encroaching on the entire picture in front of me. All I wanted to do was cry out for anyone to help me, but the constricting force around my heart was moving all around my body. Before I passed out, I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks.

My eyes flew open and I sat up straight, unfortunately colliding head on with Riku. I fell back on my bed, holding my forehead.

"Ow, shit Sora," Riku said. Through my bleary eyes I saw Riku was doing the same as me.

I let the pain subside, but still my eyes wouldn't clear up. I took one hand to rub them, and felt that my cheeks were drenched as well. I had been crying, and for quite a while.

"Sora, you okay?" Riku inquired. He was still holding his head with one hand.

"Why do you ask?"

"You were crying in your sleep," he replied. He stood up, the creaking of my bed replacing his weight. "I came over here to wake you up, but you seemed to do that efficiently." He rubbed his forehead before dropping his hand.

"A nightmare..."

Riku shrugged. "I can only guess, but it sounded like one."

Then, for whatever inexplicable reason, I felt the tears well up and spill over. I remembered as Kairi vanished into thin air and that creepy guy left me with an ominous... whatever it was. And all the Heartless. Did he summon those? I heard the bed creak again.

"Sora, are you okay?" Riku's voice sounded like we were underwater. I looked up into his face.

"I think I'm okay," I said. "But then, things happen, and in the end, I'm all alone." I threw my head into my hands and sobbed. It didn't hit me until then that I was really truly alone in the world. My town had abandoned me, Kairi was gone, and that was all I had.

I felt Riku get off the bed, and then back on behind me. Arms snaked around my torso, and I felt too tired to struggle, so I let him place me on his lap and hold my head by his chest. He used one hand to hold my head, the other was stroking my hair.

"You're not alone in the world, Sora," he said quietly. "You have me, and all the people down in this hole. We'll always protect you."

That statement felt odd to me. Why would they protect me? They barely knew me. But I couldn't think about it. My mind was so drained I could barely form a coherent thought. I let sleep take over as I felt Riku's fingers go through my hair.

**A/N: I'm going on vacation, so I won't be able to check my email, but a great present would be to leave me a review, and then when I do get a chance to check it, I'll get lots! Well, that's my dream anyway. If you feel so inclined as to press that little button and leave one, then please, don't feel hindered. **

**Unfortunately, when I do get back from vacation I start school almost the very next day. I don't really know when the next update will be, but I'll try to write my hardest and best so you don't wait long!**


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: So...right. Haven't been around for a while...sorry.

Um, well, hm, excuses. I kinda went through a helluva lot of emotional shit this past year and on top of that I just got lazy and uninspired. But I'm sorta back to normal now. I guess. Writing is still like pulling teeth, so sorry if I dipped in quality. Hopefully this chapter won't be so bad, since I've basically had it finished since last year. I only really had to get the last two or three pages down before I felt comfortable stopping.

So, yeah. I have a request for everyone that would read this at the end. A request other than 'review please!'

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**Chapter Five:**

For the next few weeks, I walked around the halls of the User's compound with the mental capacity of a zombie. I wasn't particularly sad anymore, but the residue of my feelings toward everything that had happened to me in the last month stuck for a lot longer than expected. But as a plus to the random, and often long walks, I learned the layout of my new home. I was never in danger of getting lost again. I also came upon people that I had never met before, like Yuna, Vincent, Yuffie, and Aerith.

Yuna was the pretty girl I saw sitting next to Tidus that day in the kitchen before practice. When I first met her, we chatted about the circumstances that brought me to the compound, and all while I told my story she consoled with 'oohs' and 'awws' and when I was done she took me in a delicate embrace. Unlike with the rest of the people that showed me pity, Yuna seemed truly genuine with her opinion and I felt, as I walked away from her, that she would quickly become like an older sister. Yuna was a Healer and an Elementalist, which came as a shock to me, I didn't know that someone could be more than one kind of User. She told me that being two different kinds meant that she wasn't as strong in the two as someone who just had one power, but she could manage on her own.

Vincent...well, there's not much I can say about him. I had wandered into the library--which was huge, I had never seen so many books on bookshelves that went to the ceiling--and decided to browse over the many titles. I had turned a corner into a rather shaded area of the library and ran my fingertips along the spines of the old books, and when I turned my view back to the front I was shocked to see an expanse of red and black in front of my eyes. I curled my arms up to protect my head and chest and let out a sharp squeal, but I quickly directed my gaze to the scary red eyes that looked down at me. I whimpered something that I couldn't even understand, but when I saw that I wasn't going to be harmed by him I calmed down. I asked who he was and he replied with a very curt "Vincent." I nodded and introduced myself, and my type of User and then asked what he was. He said he was a Shadow, which I should've been able to guess right off the bat. I watched as he faded into the darkness at the end of the bookshelf row, and then completely disappeared. That...was creepy, but I couldn't help but think that he had done it for my benefit, since I obviously didn't know much about Shadows. That thought made me smile slightly.

Yuffie was fun. She was doing errands or something when she ran into me, literally. She sent me sprawling to the ground while she threw armfuls of paper into the air. She apologized, but strangely enough, she scolded me for "being in the way." I looked up at her, shell-shocked as she went on this rant about how she was this amazing person with ninja-like reflexes --I doubted that greatly-- and I nodded at all the right times but it completely washed over my head. She stopped her talking, violet eyes ablaze, and asked me who I was, but barely gave me enough time to blurt out my name before she took the papers that I had picked up out of my hands and ran off saying that she was going to get chewed out by Leon for being late. As I stared into her dust, I wondered what exactly those papers were for. But I didn't get a chance to wonder too deeply into the mysteries of life, because a humble looking brunette was walking up to me.

She was looking back at the scrambling Yuffie, but when she turned her emerald green eyes toward me, she smiled. She introduced herself to me as Aerith, shook my hand, then politely asked my named. I told her, and yet again I was sucked into the story of my misfortune. She didn't react as much as Yuna had, but in the end she did hug me. She told me that many of the people in this place had come from backgrounds similar to my own, and not to despair. I asked Aerith what kind of User she was, and she replied with "I was just a Healer, but I wasn't very good." I found that to be an odd response, since she used the past tense, but I just shrugged it off and told her that I was heading over to training, and would see her again sometime. She waved at me as I left to go meet Riku.

During training--we were now doing more combat type stuff, since I had learned what Riku liked to call "a staggering amount of control" over my more mystical powers--I told Riku that I had met a lot of new people.

"That's good," he said. I got the feeling that he was still worried about my display of loneliness after that dream. "All the people here are really nice, and I'm sure they've all heard a lot about you. I know there are a few that have actually been searching you out, have you met Selphie yet?"

I shook my head. "Nope, I don't recognize that name," I said. I readied myself to attack him.

He smiled. "Hm, I wonder why she hasn't found you," Riku pondered as he deflected one of my punches. Damn him and his ability to focus under the weirdest conditions. I continued my barrage of attacks at him, and each time he deflected them. I mentally pleaded with him to let me land just one hit, just one!

I dodged a kick, and steadied back on my feet and one of my hands, crouching low to the ground. I looked up at him and realized that he left himself open after he kicked. I smirked and willed myself to run as fast as I could to just behind his right side and then threw one of my most sure punches.

I don't know exactly what happened then, just that I had connected with the wielding flesh of Riku's side, and that he was wheezing on the floor and wrapped his arms around his stomach before I knew what was going on. He turned his disbelieving face toward me, eyebrows knit in confusion.

"How did you move that fast?" His raspy voice assaulted my ears, so unlike his normal tone. I cocked my head at him and shrugged, slightly afraid. Not only had he not deflected or dodged that punch, which before I thought would've been easy for him, but I had actually reduced him to a crumpled mass on the floor. A strange feeling gripped at my chest, somewhere between guilt and pride, and I stooped down to offer my hand.

He took it, but winced as I pulled him up. "You...teleported or something. I've never seen anyone do that," he said. He narrowed his eyes at me, calculating. "Though, if it was possible, I'd say it would be a Shadow technique."

He continued to stand there, arms crossed over his chest. He started to chew on his bottom lip thoughtfully. I honestly had no clue what to think. Was he implying that I could be part Shadow? But...they kept saying that I was a really strong Reader, so... My eyes widened as I came to the realization that if I was half Shadow, then, if I was full Reader, my powers would be enormous!

Riku shook his head. "I have to talk with Leon about this, it's really unexpected," he said. Then he waved his hand in the air, dispelling his more mature nature that had shown itself in this situation. He smiled again. "But I can do that later. I noticed you've been a little bored all cooped up in here."

"You wanna take me out of this place? Out into the real world?" I thought I wanted to make it sound sarcastic, but to my own ears it sounded honest. I had to admit to myself that I was getting really tired of seeing stone hallways and intermittent fire-electric lighting, and the earthy smell of dirt and moss. And my tan was fading rapidly. I was still darker than Riku, but that wasn't saying much.

He nodded at me. "I think it's time someone took you out," I couldn't tell if he got the second meaning in that, "but we're not just going to give you a breath of fresh air, I have to meet someone."

My shoulders slumped slightly at this, but the overpowering need to go outside again kept me from sulking. I had spent my entire life outside with Kairi anyway, I wasn't used to being cooped up like this.

Riku told me to go wash up and get a snack in the kitchen, to which I adamantly agreed. He said he would only be a little while and that I should wait for him there. I shrugged and nodded and walked off in the direction of our bathroom for a quick shower.

I basically stepped into the shower and let the water run over me before I got out again; I wasn't all that sweaty from practice and I wanted to leave so bad! I opened my wardrobe a crack and then realized that I only brought two changes of clothes. I frowned, preparing to see a mostly empty space, I pulled the doors of the wardrobe back all the way...

And there were clothes.

...Lots of clothes.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open for minutes, staring at the interior of the wardrobe. _How...when...why..._thoughts flooded my mind. I reached a hand out to touch the material of some baggy black pants with big red pockets to see if it was real and not just my imagination. It was real.

"Do you like our handy-work?" a high, pleasant voice called from behind me. I turned around and was faced with three squat women; one in green, one in blue, and the other in pink. And did they have faint outlines of wings behind them? I couldn't quite see in moderate darkness.

Noticing that they were expecting an answer, I cleared my throat. "Um, yeah, how'd you guys, um, girls...women, do this?" I turned back to the clothes and looked through them for something suitable.

The one in green walked over to my side. "We figured you would need some clothes, and with a little flick of our wands," she demonstrated this, "we made you some new clothes. By the way, my name's Fauna, the one in pink is Flora, and the one in blue is Merryweather."

"Hi, my name's Sora," I said. I pulled out that pair of baggy black pants and held them up. "Thanks, this is really great, I was wondering when I'd have time to go get some new clothes. Thanks to you three I don't have to anymore." I flashed a big, appreciative smile at them.

"It was our pleasure, dear," the one in pink, Flora, said.

"Yes, we can't have you walking around in rags," Merryweather nodded.

"Well, thank you...but, um," I paused. "Could you maybe leave? I wanted to get dressed." I smiled and felt a small blush creep onto my cheeks.

"Oh! Of course, dear, we'll just let you be." The three of them curtsied and poofed into thin air. I was left staring at the spaces they had once occupied, then I shrugged and slipped the pants on.

Fully dressed and in the kitchen with an apple in my hands, I sat on the long bench and waited for Riku. He never did say how long he was going to take, but I felt safe in assuming it wouldn't be too long. I tumbled the smooth, red apple in my hands before deciding to take a bite. It was crisp and juicy, and like with most the food I eat, it didn't take long to finish it. Then I was sitting in the empty kitchen with an apple core in my hands. Just as I was starting to get bored, Riku walked into the room.

"Finally," I muttered from my very slouched position. I sat up and smiled at him, but he looked distracted and worried. I immediately stood up and went over to him.

"Riku, what's wrong?"

He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes blazing. His frown deepened for a second, just long enough for me to catch it, and then he shook his head and closed the distance between us. He stopped just inches into my personal space and fixed me with a look. I couldn't quite tell what it was, but there was some stir of emotions swirling in his eyes. I was coming to realize that Riku was really good at covering up his emotions.

"Riku...?"

He sighed. "No, it's nothing," he said. "Let's go."

It was uncomfortable around Riku after that. There was something he knew that he wasn't telling me, and I didn't even have the courage to ask him.

He lead me to the tunnel that would eventually end in the alley, and outside.

"Where are we meeting your friend?" I asked.

"He's not my friend," Riku chuckled. "And where meeting him in the park."

"Okay," I said. We walked further in silence, Riku in his own mind. I wasn't feeling too swell, not with Riku all preoccupied about my weird abilities. Oh well, Kairi always did say I was too sensitive to other people's emotions, and that one day it would get me in trouble.

I spotted a light in the distance, very slowly growing. Even with my apprehension, I was growing giddy. I was going to be outside again, in the fresh air with wind and birds and sun. And people. I always was too social for my own good. As the light grew, I started to get more and more excited. Once I actually got outside it would essentially dissipate, but getting there was the interesting part. Finally I could see the dark alleyway and the back facades of buildings. The first thing I felt was a cool, gentle breeze along my cheek and it made me smile. I looked over at Riku and saw that he was smiling softly at me. Probably because I looked like such a dork for getting so happy about being outside.

"So Riku, how far away is this park?" I asked as I turned around to face him. He lifted his arms up to the back of his head and thought.

"Oh, it's only one district over, in First," he said, thoughtfully, "I imagine it wouldn't take us too long to walk there." He looked to me considerately. "Would you like to get something to eat after I meet with this guy in the park? There's a little cafe in First District that's pretty good."

"I'm always willing to get something to eat, you don't even have to ask," I said. "So, why are we meeting this non-friend of yours? If you don't much like them, what other business could you have?" I was more than curious, first Yuffie with her armfuls of paper that Leon, who seemed like the leader of this little band of miscreants, would need to see, and then Riku, meeting with someone in a park that he didn't consider a friend. It all seemed a little unusual for just a group of Users trying to survive in the world.

Riku stopped walking and crossed his arms over his chest, deciding if whether or not he should tell me the answers to my questions. Apparently he decided it wouldn't do any harm to shed some light on the situation.

"Well, this person I'm going to meet...he has some information for us. Some information that could prove very useful for..." and that's where the information became less pertinent for me to know. I guess, since Riku just stopped talking. He shrugged and then motioned for us to start walking again. "It's really nothing for you to worry about, since you just got into this business."

_Hm, business,_ I thought. I wondered what kind of business and then realized that we had made it outside of the alleyway and into a busy plaza. There were little tents set up on the lower level of the plaza and I went over to the railing to look down on the commotion. People were walking from tent to tent with bags of produce. It was a Farmer's Market.

"You like the look of the market?" Riku asked as he came up beside me. I nodded, silently reminiscing my past.

And then a thought hit me; what if someone from my village was here? I knew they came to Traverse Town occasionally to sell some of the harvest. I very quickly backed up to the wall of the nearest building and slid down to make myself as small as possible. Riku came up in front of me and crouched down, looking at me worried and curious.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I...Riku, I just wanna get out of here, can we get to that park?" I asked, looking over his shoulder to the people walking by.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. He stood up and held a hand out for me. I took it and he pulled me up, held me close to his side, away from the market. We reached the large double doors that lead from the second district to the first district and Riku gently pushed me through them as he turned around to see if anyone was following us.

"Ah, there's the park," Riku said, pointing in front of us.

To the side of the main road there was a park; a large park. The trees were like giant broccoli stalks and there was a river that went along the side of the main path. Riku lead me on the path, passing couples holding hands and people walking dogs.

The sun was just starting to warm my skin when Riku stopped and tugged on my sleeve to get me to as well. He turned me around and looked carefully into my eyes.

"Okay, Sora, I need you to find something to do while I talk to this guy," Riku said. I shot him a skeptical look. "Look, just for a while, you can't be there."

"Alright," I said. We continued walking and the river dumped right into a lake complete with ducks and a fountain right in the middle. We treaded right over the soft grass toward a bench where a short blond boy was sitting. He must've heard us coming because he turned and glanced at us. Recognition dawned on his face as his bright blue eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Then he stood up and walked the short distance to us.

"Riku," the boy greeted. He couldn't have been much older than me.

"Thirteen," Riku replied, with a nod of his head.

I stared at Riku, and then to the boy, and back to Riku. I was kind of glad I wouldn't be there for the talk. The tension between those two was thick.

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A/N: Okay, so that's the next chapter. Yeah, exhilarating. Not much happened...actually, quite a few things happened, I guess I just get bored with it now because I've read it ten trillion times worrying about grammar and dialogue.

Which brings me to the request I had. I would really, really appreciate an imaginative person with relatively good writing skills to help me out with this story. And in fact the other Kingdom Hearts story I have but have yet to post too. ...And the like, three other ideas I have for stories. You know, just someone to bounce ideas off of and stuff. And to calm my freakish OCD/paranoia down so that I don't have to read my chapters millions of times just to feel comfortable that it's not horribly written and I can post it.

So if you're interested, PM me or something.

Thanks so much to all of you that read this and haven't given up! I will get my muse back, even if I have to go to some more shady tactics.

Thank you thank you thank you!

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